Language and Mental Health

2024-01-19

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • In recent years, more and more people have been talking about mental health.
  • 2
  • The pandemic made many people feel isolated or alone.
  • 3
  • The isolation caused some people to struggle more with their mental health.
  • 4
  • Different countries and cultures have different ideas about mental health.
  • 5
  • In the United States, conversations about mental health and mental illness are changing.
  • 6
  • Many well-known people have come forward and shared their mental health journeys through books and social media.
  • 7
  • As ideas about mental health change, so does the language we use to talk about the issue.
  • 8
  • In today's Everyday Grammar, we will talk about the language of mental health.
  • 9
  • Let's start with the question, "What is mental health?"
  • 10
  • "Mental health" contains the adjective "mental" and the noun "health."
  • 11
  • Together, the words become a compound noun meaning the conditions around one's mental and emotional well-being.
  • 12
  • If someone has good mental health, they are in good emotional and mental condition.
  • 13
  • Now let's look at "mental illness." Mental illness is a compound noun with the same adjective "mental," but with the noun "illness."
  • 14
  • If someone has a mental illness, they have a medical condition that affects their mind, personality or emotions.
  • 15
  • The illness harms their mental functioning and can affect their thinking, feelings and behaviors.
  • 16
  • Examples of mental illnesses include depression and anxiety.
  • 17
  • The word "disorder" may also be used with some mental illnesses.
  • 18
  • For example, you may know someone who has an anxiety disorder.
  • 19
  • When we talk about someone's mental health, it is important to use the right words.
  • 20
  • We want to be respectful of the person and understanding of their situation.
  • 21
  • We can use language that is centered on the person rather than their mental health issues.
  • 22
  • One way to do this is to say a person is "living with" their condition.
  • 23
  • The structure for this is:
  • 24
  • Subject + verb live + preposition with + noun form of illness.
  • 25
  • Kurt lives with anxiety.
  • 26
  • Another acceptable and simple way to describe Kurt would be to say "Kurt has anxiety."
  • 27
  • The structure for that is: Subject + verb have + noun form of illness.
  • 28
  • We can use this instead of using an adjective form of their mental health condition, as in "Kurt is an anxious person."
  • 29
  • It is also important to avoid certain words in some settings.
  • 30
  • For example, words like "psycho" and "crazy" may seem informal and acceptable to use, but they can cause harm.
  • 31
  • The word "psycho," when used informally, means an unstable and aggressive person.
  • 32
  • For example: Her ex-boyfriend is such a psycho.
  • 33
  • "Psycho" is related to "psychosis," a mental disorder in which a person has a disconnection from reality.
  • 34
  • Experts say using such words outside of a mental health discussion can lead to stigma.
  • 35
  • Stigma is a set of negative beliefs that a culture has about something.
  • 36
  • Stigma can prevent people from seeking help with their own mental illnesses.
  • 37
  • In today's Everyday Grammar we talk about the best words and language to use when talking about mental health.
  • 38
  • We learned how to use person-centered language to talk about someone with a mental illness.
  • 39
  • And we learned that some words should be avoided to help end the stigma around mental illness.
  • 40
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 1
  • In recent years, more and more people have been talking about mental health. The pandemic made many people feel isolated or alone. The isolation caused some people to struggle more with their mental health.
  • 2
  • Different countries and cultures have different ideas about mental health. In the United States, conversations about mental health and mental illness are changing. Many well-known people have come forward and shared their mental health journeys through books and social media.
  • 3
  • As ideas about mental health change, so does the language we use to talk about the issue.
  • 4
  • In today's Everyday Grammar, we will talk about the language of mental health.
  • 5
  • Let's start with the question, "What is mental health?"
  • 6
  • What is mental health?
  • 7
  • "Mental health" contains the adjective "mental" and the noun "health." Together, the words become a compound noun meaning the conditions around one's mental and emotional well-being.
  • 8
  • If someone has good mental health, they are in good emotional and mental condition.
  • 9
  • Now let's look at "mental illness." Mental illness is a compound noun with the same adjective "mental," but with the noun "illness." If someone has a mental illness, they have a medical condition that affects their mind, personality or emotions.
  • 10
  • The illness harms their mental functioning and can affect their thinking, feelings and behaviors. Examples of mental illnesses include depression and anxiety.
  • 11
  • The word "disorder" may also be used with some mental illnesses. For example, you may know someone who has an anxiety disorder.
  • 12
  • Person-focused language
  • 13
  • When we talk about someone's mental health, it is important to use the right words. We want to be respectful of the person and understanding of their situation. We can use language that is centered on the person rather than their mental health issues.
  • 14
  • One way to do this is to say a person is "living with" their condition.
  • 15
  • The structure for this is:
  • 16
  • Subject + verb live + preposition with + noun form of illness.
  • 17
  • Kurt lives with anxiety.
  • 18
  • Another acceptable and simple way to describe Kurt would be to say "Kurt has anxiety."
  • 19
  • The structure for that is: Subject + verb have + noun form of illness.
  • 20
  • We can use this instead of using an adjective form of their mental health condition, as in "Kurt is an anxious person."
  • 21
  • Avoid stereotypes
  • 22
  • It is also important to avoid certain words in some settings. For example, words like "psycho" and "crazy" may seem informal and acceptable to use, but they can cause harm. The word "psycho," when used informally, means an unstable and aggressive person.
  • 23
  • For example: Her ex-boyfriend is such a psycho.
  • 24
  • "Psycho" is related to "psychosis," a mental disorder in which a person has a disconnection from reality. Experts say using such words outside of a mental health discussion can lead to stigma. Stigma is a set of negative beliefs that a culture has about something. Stigma can prevent people from seeking help with their own mental illnesses.
  • 25
  • Final thoughts
  • 26
  • In today's Everyday Grammar we talk about the best words and language to use when talking about mental health. We learned how to use person-centered language to talk about someone with a mental illness. And we learned that some words should be avoided to help end the stigma around mental illness.
  • 27
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 28
  • Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 29
  • _________________________________________
  • 30
  • Words in This Story
  • 31
  • isolated - adj. separated from other persons or things; alone; solitary
  • 32
  • conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people
  • 33
  • journey - n. an act or instance of traveling from one place to another
  • 34
  • anxiety - n. an emotional state of being worried or very concerned
  • 35
  • disorder - n. a disease or mental problem
  • 36
  • stigma - n. a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something
  • 37
  • What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. Write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com or leave us a comment below.
  • 38
  • We want to hear from you.
  • 39
  • Our comment policy is here.